Overview

Amazon sellers who use bulk shipping override files or XML feeds may see Error 13040 during submission. The error flags a duplicate locale restriction—one that already exists in the seller’s default shipping settings. Resolving the duplication prevents submission failures and keeps shipping configurations up to date.

Key Points

• Duplicate restriction detection — The system returns Error 13040 when an override entry tries to block the same country or region that the default shipping profile already blocks.
• Not a compliance violation — The error is a validation issue only; it does not affect account health or policy standing.
• Simple removal fixes the problem — Deleting the redundant locale line from the override file or XML feed eliminates the error.
• Default rules outrank overrides — Amazon gives precedence to the base shipping settings, so any matching override becomes unnecessary.
• Periodic audits reduce recurrence — Regularly comparing default settings with override files catches overlaps before they cause errors.

How Error 13040 Occurs

1. Submission parsing — When a seller uploads a shipping‑override CSV or XML feed, Amazon’s processing engine reads each restriction line. Example: a line that reads “Block shipping to FR (France)” is read from the file.
2. Cross‑reference with default profile — The engine checks the seller’s default shipping configuration stored in Seller Central. Example: the default profile already has “Do not ship to France” enabled.
3. Duplicate identification — If the same locale appears in both the override and the default list, the system flags the entry as a duplicate. Example: the feed’s France restriction triggers Error 13040 because the default profile already blocks France.
4. Error generation — Amazon returns the message “already restricted for this locale” along with the 13040 code, halting processing of the offending line.